Storm protection window brace



April 17, 1951 H. R. CARNEY STORM PROTECTION WINDOW BRACE Filed Nov. 21, 1947 Ham/0' R. Carney JNVENTOR.

* Ca M ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 17, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STORM PROTECTION WINDOW BRACE Harold R. Carney, Houston, Tex. Application November 21,1947, Serial No. 787,345

Claims.

The invention relates to a storm protection window brace and to a method of easily and efficiently installing window braces on show case windows, large residential windows, and any type of window which is likely to be shattered in a storm or hurricane, and it also relates to a window comprising window braces as a part thereof.

An object of this invention is to provide a window brace which can be rapidly installed on the frames of the windows to be protected by fixing the brace to the window frames by means of screws which thread into previously prepared holes in the frames. I

Another object of this invention is to provide a window brace which consists of separate sections which can be so spaced inwardly and outwardly of the glassed portion of a windowthat the glass is braced after the pattern of a checker board or grillage.

A further object of this invention is to provide a window brace consisting of separate sections of this kind in which structural members, as steel channels, which are fixed to the window frame, have underlying therebeneath vibration dampening and translating elements suchas rectangular rubber strips which are in surface contact with the window glass.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a window braced against storms by crossbracing the window on either side of the window glass with inter-crossing elements havingrubber strips therebeneath, the elements. on the outside and inside of the window complementing each other in a way to subdivide the window glass into a checker board of reinforced areas, the substantially checker-boarded pattern being obtained by extending the elements either rectangularly to the 'window frames sides, or at an angle thereto, as

diagonally.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide window braces having sections composed of inter-crossing members so arranged as to complement each other from opposite sides of the z' braces of this invention which shows a method of mounting them to brace a show case window in a building having concrete walls and wooden floors. 1

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view which shows how the rubber strips beneath the structural members of the braces may be offset by notching out, or by the compressibility of the rubber itself, so as to compensate for the divisional strip between panes of glass.

In Fig, 1 of the drawings a window frame I has two cross braces 2 and 3 mounted on the outside of the vertical sides 4 of the window by means of screws 5. These two cross-brace sec tions 2 and 3 are complemented by one crossbrace section which is located in spaced relationship on the inside of the window and which is mounted to the vertical sides of the window by means of screws 5, not shown. It is noticeable that in this arrangement the outside cross-brace 1 sections have one structural member 6, which a single glass plate.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the window and of extends horizontally, and two intercrossing members T, which extend vertically, whereas the crossbracing member on the inside of the window pane 22 comprises a cross-bracing section 8 which consists of one horizontally extending member 9 and one vertically extending member l0.

Referring to Fig. 2, the cross-bracing sections are shown to consist of channels 6, l, 9 and H] which have underlying therebeneath rectangular sectioned rubber strips I I and [2 which are afiixed to the webs of the channels in any well-known manner, such as by gluing.

Fig. 3 shows in detail one method of mounting the cross-bracing sections of this invention on. a show case window and in this view a wood screw 20 passes through an angular foot l3, then through the floor board l4 into a floor joist or underlying support IS. The vertically extending members I of the outside cross-bracing sections are shown as being mounted in the concrete wall' of the building by means of a bolt I6 which exetends through the vertically extending member"! and is threaded into a nut I! which is cemented in place ina counterboredhole I8 in the concrete wall. i

In Fig. 4 a rectangular rubber strip II is shown as offset to compensate for the wooden or steel strip 23 which constitutes the division between panes 2| in windows which are not comprised of This offset can result from the mere compression of the rubber strip in cases Where the contexture of the rubber strips employed admit of such compressibility. In constructions where a harder, less compressible rubber strip may be used, division strip 23 may be compensated for by notching out the rubber strip to the necessaryshape. I

l The arrangement of the cross-bracing sections of thisinvention is not.limitedito the illustrative structures shown in Fig. 1 and it is conceivable that it may be advantageous to reverse the installation of outer and inner cross-bracing sections to meet varying designs of windows. It may also be advantageous to have additional vertically extending members and additional horizontally extending members in each cross-bracing section. The invention is not to be limited to the methods of mounting shown in Fig. 3- but this "invention is drawn to take in any practical method of mounting cross-bracing sections arranged after the general pattern thereof.

It is pointed out that the construction of Fig. 1, in which the vertically extending member ID of the inside section extends only slightly beyond the horizontally extending outside members, is a construction adaptable to. cases where the horizontal window frame sides l9 may be relied upon to especially reinforce the glass areas adjacent thereto. In other cases it may be advantageous to, extend the member !9 to terminate on a line parallel. with the members i to sufficiently reinforce the glass and to form asubstantially uniformly checker boarded pattern.

It is further pointed out that the construction of Fig. 1 may be varied so that the vertical cross-bracing members I and Ill extend to be connected to the window frame in the same manner as the horizontally extending members are connected.

Notice should also be taken of the fact that any of the cross-bracing structures disclosed, and any of the variations, thereof described, may be assembled with a window as an integral part thereof. and in. such instances more permanent connections to the window frame can be made in any number of well known ways without departing from the substance and theory of this invention. 7

Broadly, this invention has as a genera1 object the employment of variously arranged crossbracing sections consistingof intercrossing structural members which have underlying therebeneath vibration dampening anddistributing rubber strips, the overall cross-bracing arrangement being. designed to distribute and dampen the vibratory stresses and strains which hurricanes, storms and high winds may set up in window glass, and to localize these undesirable forces into small rectangular surface areas of glass. In addi-tionflthe structure and method of this invention not. only considers the cross-bracing elements, but it also considers a Window having these elements as a part thereof and it further considers the method of constructing a window braced with these elements.

It is therefore obvious that the specific construction which has been described is only illustratiye of one embodiment of the invention and it is thereby understood that the invention is not confined to such construction but broadly comprehends the means and methods of cross bracing windows within the material structures and general spirit of this invention, the struc tural pattern thereof being obtained by extending the elements either rectangularly to the window frames sides, or at an angle thereto, as

diagonally. g

What is claimed is:

1. A storm protection braced window comprising a frame supporting glass thereinbetween, a plurality of inter-crossing structural members having rubber strips attached beneath each member and extendin substantially co-extensive with the length thereof and in contactwith the window glass, said members being connected to opposite sides of said frame so that a glass area unreinforced on one side has centrally thereof on the opposite side the inter-crossed center of a structural. member.

2. In a storm protection window brace for a window comprising a frame supporting glass thereinbetween, the combination of, a plurality of inter-crossing structural members having rubber strips attached beneath each member and extending substantially co-extensive with the length thereof and in contact with the window glass, said members being in complementary spaced relationship on alternate sides of the window glass from each other so as to strengthen the window glass and dampen vibrations occurring therein by subdividing the window brace into a substantially checkerboarded pattern of re-inforced areas.

3.. In a storm protection window brace for a window comprising a frame supporting glass panes thereinbetween; the combination of a plurality of inter-crossing structural members having rubber strips attached beneath each member and extending substantially co-extensive with the length thereof and in contact with the paned window glass, said members being connected to opposite sides of said frame so that a glass area unreinforced on one sidehas centrally thereof on the oppositeside the inter-crossed center of a structural member; said rubber strips being adapted to fit over the division between panes.

e. In a storm protection window brace for a window comprising a frame supporting glass thereinbetween, and adapted tobe installed withina frame encasing building structure, the combination of, a plurality of inter-crossing structural members having rubber strips attached beneath each member and extending substantially co-extensive with the length thereof and in contact with the window glass, said members being adapted to complem-entarily re-inforce the window glass from opposite sides thereof, and means connected to said members for attaching the braced window to: the frame encasing building structure.

5. A window comprising, a window frame adapted to be installed within a frameencasing building structure, a paned window glass, and a plurality of, inter-crossing structural members having rubber strips attached beneath each member and extending substantially co-extensive with the length thereof and in contact with the window glass, said members being adapted to complementarily re-inforce the window glass from opposite sides thereof, and means connected to said members for attaching the braced window frame to the frame encasing building structure.

. HAROLD R. CARNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain. V 1942 

